


start a new day, let yourself go

by Hellokaelyn



Category: NCIS
Genre: AUish, F/M, First Meeting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-26 21:20:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20396329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellokaelyn/pseuds/Hellokaelyn
Summary: Ellie forms a bond with an attractive stranger that gives her tissues and ice cream.





	start a new day, let yourself go

**Author's Note:**

> In this fic Ellie works in an office (it just worked for this fic), and obviously its an AU meeting.

Finally, after what felt like hours her tears had seemed to end, at least for that moment.  
  
She was just about to use the sleeve of her sweater to wipe at her wet cheeks when there was a packet of tissues shoved in front of her face.  
  
Ellie jumped back a little before snapping her head up.  
  
Standing there holding out the tissues with a soft smile was one of the most attractive men she had ever seen in person. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment adding to her already red face from crying.  
  
"I um- thanks." She whispered, taking the package from his hand. Ellie used them, all the while keeping an eye on the man from the corner of her eye.  
  
"No problem." He rubbed the back of his neck before holding out the grocery bag that was in his other hand. "I figured you could use this too..kind of a staple for when your upset, right?"  
  
Ellie looked at him confused before hesitantly taking the bag. She gaped when seeing what was inside. Double chocolate fudge ice cream and plastic spoons.  
  
"You just..bought this for me?" Ellie asked in disbelief. "You saw some random girl crying on a bench and went to the store..buying her tissues and ice cream?"  
  
"If it makes you feel any better..I already had the tissues." He mumbled.  
  
Ellie couldn't help the giggle that escaped her making his lips twitch. "Seriously though..thank you. You don't even know me or why I'm upset- what if I'm crying because I killed someone or something!"  
  
He eyed her a little, making her heart jolt as she tried not to stiffen. "Nah."  
  
"You- 'nah'?"  
  
"No way did you just kill someone." He shrugged. Ellie snorted but didn't disagree with him. "You should eat that ice cream before it melts."  
  
She gave him a smile and gestured for him to sit before doing as he said. Ellie had to bite back the moan from leaving her as she tasted the ice cream, she hadn't had any in so long. Jake had been on a health kick, banning any of her favorites from the apartment.  
  
Ellie frowned at the thought of him. The stranger beside her seemed to notice the change in her mood. "You know, I heard I'm a good listener."  
  
"I don't even know your name." She pointed out. "And you don't know mine."  
  
He chuckled. "Okay..Nick Torres, you?"  
  
"Ellie..Ellie Bishop."  
  
"So? Lay it on me Ellie."  
  
She gave him a pointed look. "Who says I need to talk to you anyway? I have other people I can talk to about this!"  
  
Ellie's face dropped right after the words left her mouth. Realization hit her quick. She didn't have someone to talk to. Sure she had friends but they were all people from work and also his friends, and there was a part of her that was worried they'd side with Jake or think she's ridiculous for wanting a divorce. Her family were always a call or text away, but they had been against her marriage to Jake from the start thinking something was off with him. Then there was the matter of her mom's sympathy that would choke her, her dad and brothers rage that would only stress her out more.  
  
"Hey-" Nick said softly. "You really don't have to tell me, just tell me to back off and I will."  
  
"I.." Her cheeks colored in embarrassment again. "I guess I don't really have anyone so-"  
  
Nick gave her an encouraging smile that settled the knots in her stomach.  
  
"My husband..I found out he had been cheating on me for the last three months." Ellie mumbled, voice wavering over the words as her eyes watered. She scooped up some ice cream and shoved the spoonful in her mouth.  
  
"What an asshole." Nick muttered. Ellie snorted, nodding her head.  
  
"And to make matters worse- we work in the same office building, which means no matter what I do, I'll still have to see him every work day."  
  
Nick cringed back. "Ouch. I could punch him for you, give him a nice black eye to walk around with."  
  
She giggled wetly after swallowing down more ice cream. "Thanks, but I don't think that'd really solve anything."  
  
"So what're you gonna do?" Nick asked.  
  
"I..should divorce him right? I mean isn't that what people do when they find out their spouse has been..cheating?"  
  
He reached out and grabbed her hand, almost without thinking about it and as if it was something he had done before. Ellie's hand seemed small in his large one, and his touch made her body relax. He was warm. Jake was always cold.  
  
"While I think you should, because cheating is unforgivable in my eyes-" His eyes flashed with something..anger, hurt. Ellie felt her stomach twist, he knew exactly how being cheated on felt. "Some people can work through it, if they love each other enough. So I think the question is..do you love him enough to try and work things out, to try and move past this eventually?"  
  
Ellie stared off towards the small water fountain across from them. Jake had begged for her forgiveness, begged for her to stay so they could work out their problems, the words had only made her angry as he made it sound like she had also done something wrong. Sure she stayed at work late and refused to do the couple activities they used to in the beginning of their marriage, but did any of that warrant him sleeping with this woman multiple times, using her staying at work late as the perfect getaway.  
  
No..no it didn't.  
  
Facts were, he didn't even try and talk to her about it in the first place. He didn't even try to work it out before cheating, so who's to say he would try now? Could she go on being married to the man who made her cry for hours on end, question everything about herself? No. She had tried escaping the apartment early to not run into him coming out of their bedroom (she refused to be the one to sleep in their bed that felt so dirty now), but he had heard her and came out anyway. Ellie couldn't deal with that feeling inside her that she had felt, of wanting to crawl into herself and never come out.  
  
"I can't work things out." She whispered finally. "I love him but if I'm being honest..no where close to how I used to feel. Our marriage turned into more of a convenience, something we were used to. I- I don't want that, I want to feel loved and safe..as cheesy as that sounds..and continuing to be with Jake would only hurt."  
  
"Then there you go." Nick said softly. "I'm sorry, none of this is easy."  
  
Ellie wiped her tears before looking at him. "Seems like you know what you're talking about."  
  
He laughed humorlessly. "Life is a bitch."  
  
"You don't have to share either you know." She said, giving him a small smile as she nudged his leg with her own.  
  
"I uh..had been dating my childhood best friend, Sofia." His voice cracked at her name, and now it was her who took his hand in hers. "We had all these plans to get married before we were twenty-five, wanting to start a family..we both wanted a big one." He swallowed roughly. "We were both twenty-one and happy, or at least that's what I thought. I found out that Sofia had been cheating on me with one of my friends, she felt..suffocated in our relationship she said."  
  
"And you two..broke up?"  
  
"Yeah..but like I said, life is a bitch." Nick sighed heavily. "Not long after we broke up, Sofia had been diagnosed with cancer." Ellie squeezed his hand tightly, her heart hurting for this kind man she had only met an hour ago but had done so much for her in such a short time. "No matter what she was still the girl I grew up with, so I stuck around to give her my support you know..I still wasn't over what she had done, so it seemed like a smack to the face twice. Worst part is..she never said sorry, she never once had any regret for it. I found myself wondering if I ever knew her at all. None of the medicine or methods were working..and months later she was gone, it felt like I lost her twice."  
  
"I'm so sorry Nick." Ellie whispered. "I wish I could say something more but..there isn't any words that'd really make it better."  
  
"Agreed." He scoffed. "But thanks."  
  
"Here!" Ellie held out a spoon and the carton of ice cream.  
  
"Uh Ellie..you _do_ realize that we may have shared things, but we still have _just_ met, and your spoon that was in your mouth was all in that ice cream."  
  
Ellie playfully glared. "I didn't touch one whole side of the carton! That can be your half."  
  
Nick looked at her in disbelief before laughing loudly, grabbing the spoon from her. "Alright then."  
  
They sat eating the ice cream, making small conversation every once in a while.  
  
Ellie for the first time in a while finally felt like her again.

* * *

  
  
  
When work rolled around that Monday morning, Ellie just wanted the earth to swallow her up. Over the weekend she had told Jake their marriage was over, that she wanted a divorce. She would be looking for her own apartment, even after Jake offered for him to do so. No way was she staying there though. In the meantime, Jake was staying with his parents, the tension between them being too much.  
  
But now it turns out, it was one of those work days where Jake was working on her floor. Just her luck. It was minutes until lunch, and Ellie was already tired of seeing his face. His desk was only a few over from hers, and he would glance at her every few minutes setting her on edge.  
  
Everyone in the office knew they were getting a divorce..just not why.  
  
Until lunch rolled around..and four men dressed in the exact same sparkling shiny outfit came walking in, visitor badges pinned to their vests. Ellie watched with interest as they walked right to Jake when spotting him.  
  
"Uh can I help you?" Jake asked wearily.  
  
All four men grinned. "We have a message for you from a Taylor Matthews-"  
  
Ellie tensed up, at the same time Jake did. All eyes were on them, back and forth like a tennis match. Taylor, the woman Jake had cheated on her with.  
  
Jake went pale, and before he could try and get them away..they started singing in perfect unison. Some of the words giving the whole office the truth about their divorce.  
  
_A filthy lying cheater_  
  
_Nothing but a lousy cheater_  
  
Ellie admitted she zoned out a little.  
  
She was embarrassed sure, especially when her co-workers kept staring at her, but there was a large part of her that found this oh so satisfying. Jake's face was red, and he had sunk low into his seat as if trying to hide.  
  
Ellie had really thought Taylor had sent them..until when they walked by her desk as they left, and threw her a wink.  
  
It clicked in seconds.  
  
She got her confirmation when she walked to her car after work to see him leaning against it looking smug with his arms crossed.  
  
"You're ridiculous." Ellie stated with a small laugh.  
  
Nick shrugged. "Well you aren't punching me or anything, so I'm guessing you aren't mad at me for it?"  
  
"I'm not mad at all." Ellie grinned. "He looked like he was seconds from peeing his pants in embarrassment! And, all our co-workers and friends are pissed at him."  
  
"Sounds like a good day to me." Nick teased a little.  
  
She stepped closer, leaning in to press a soft lingering kiss on his cheek. His eyes sparkled with something when she pulled away. "Thank you."  
  
Nick grinned. "Anytime."  
  
"How about we go get dinner, my treat."  
  
"Alright, but no sharing this time."  
  
Ellie scoffed. "That was a once in a lifetime thing Nick, I don't share food."  
  
"Good 'cause neither do I." Nick teased, moving to get in her passenger seat. Ellie laughed and got in herself. They spent the car ride to the restaurant singing loudly to the radio, that bond they created on that bench starting with tissues and ice cream only growing.  
  
Neither of them saw Jake watching a few cars down. He hadn't seen her smile or laugh like that in months.


End file.
